Father of autistic boy worries about sudden cancellations and disruptions if education workers strike

Guelph Mercury

GUELPH — Len Kahn is worried about the impact that work-to-rule job sanctions by education professionals will have on students with special needs and physical disabilities.

Kahn said he’s heard that educational assistants “could withdraw participating in field trips and other activities at any point in time,” he said. “But autistic kids live and die by their schedules. An abrupt change in routine can have dire consequences for them.”

But the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation says no students will be left in unsafe circumstances and especially not kids with disabilities.

“Our EAs (educational assistants) are in job sanctions but they are not withdrawing services for special needs students,” said Cindy Dubue, an executive officer at OSSTF’s provincial office.

Kahn’s son Jacob, 18, has autism and needs an educational assistant in the classroom. Secondary teachers in the Upper Grand District School Board have ratified their contract with the board but other bargaining units within the union, including educational assistants, special program assistants, professional support services personnel and office and clerical staff, have not.

They resumed job sanctions Nov. 28.

Kahn said Jacob’s teacher informed him that school trips and out-of-classroom activities were subject to cancellation without notice at the discretion of the EAs and their union.

It’s the ‘without notice’ part that has him worried — and the possibility that the Special Needs Christmas Luncheon hosted by the local Kiwanis Club, might be cancelled.

“Jacob looks forward to it every year,” Kahn said. “Other kids would be disappointed, but Jacob will have a meltdown.”

Dubue said she’s aware of the Kiwanis lunch and how important it is to special needs students.

“The District 18 bargaining unit president has said her members will go to it, and they are quite willing to go,” Dubue said. “I don’t understand this concern over the last minute. We are not ETFO.”

The Upper Grand Elementaray Teachers’ Federation of Ontario is in a strike position Dec. 1 and will begin work-to-rule job sanctions Monday. There may be one-day board-wide strikes in the coming weeks, but the union has promised to give school boards 72 hours notice so parents can make arrangements for their kids.

EAs are part of OSSFT and not ETFO.

Dubue said EAs will go on field trips with their special needs students. They must be allowed breaks and lunch, and if the trip goes past end-of-day, they must be paid overtime and not take lieu time instead.

“We are not striking any duties for special needs kids,” she said.

A posting on Nov. 20 on the Kiwanis Club of Guelph website says the special need luncheon is on — Dec. 13 at the Italian Canadian Club.